Biography
Paul Shirey is a writer, filmmaker, journalist, and author whose career spans film criticism, combat service, and original storytelling across multiple mediums. He studied film production at the College of DuPage, earning an AAS in Film/TV Production, and later completed a BA in Graphic Design at The Art Institute of Philadelphia.
After working as an independent screenwriter and producer in Chicago, Shirey enlisted in the U.S. Army and became a Paratrooper, serving two combat tours in Afghanistan and Iraq. Following his military service, he returned to the entertainment industry and began a long career in film journalism.
Shirey joined JoBlo.com as a staff writer and quickly rose to Editor-in-Chief, overseeing editorial operations and producing thousands of reviews, interviews, and features. He created the long-running cult film column The Best Movie You Never Saw and became known for deep-dive retrospectives and filmmaker interviews. During his tenure, he covered major industry events including Sundance, San Diego Comic-Con, CinemaCon, and Star Wars Celebration, while contributing heavily to JoBlo’s YouTube network, which grew to millions of subscribers and billions of views.
He later served as a Senior Writer for Screen Rant, continuing his work in film analysis, features, and industry coverage.
In recent years, Shirey has expanded into long-form storytelling and independent publishing. He is the author of the memoir Confessions of a Movie Blogger, chronicling his decades inside the film journalism world. He is also the creator of the horror novel Pinky, a coming-of-age body-horror thriller, and The War/Scars, a gritty graphic-novel series following U.S. combat veterans navigating life and violence after war.
In addition to writing, Shirey serves as co-host of podcasts like The Beard and The Bald and MidMen, where he blends pop culture, life experience, and humor with candid conversations.
He continues to develop original books, comics, and multimedia projects while building his independent publishing brand.
